Just a week after the Indian ban of the Chinese video producing app ‘TikTok’, the popular social media app Instagram rolled out a new short video feature in India. Known as ‘Instagram Reels’, this new feature has great similarities with TikTok (where it has helped in aching mehr Tiktok Follower) and has taken the netizens by storm. It lets users create videos, add filters and music, alter the speed, among other things. Many celebrities, blogger and content creators, especially those who were quite popular on TikTok, are showing great excitement with the coming of Reels and have already started making Reel videos.
The bloggers, content creators and social media enthusiasts of Jaipur too are geared up and are using this feature to elevate their digital media presence.
Fits Perfectly With Shorter Attention Span
Talking about how ‘Reels’ will benefit brands to market their products, a Social Media Manager, Ayushi Patni shares her insight: “Reels is the answer to the shortening attention span of people and the growing need for content creation. It is the new cool thing as much as for businesses as it is for personal accounts. Its creative filters and effects make it easier to produce engaging content for our clients. We are aiming to feature user-generated content on reels as it connects with the audiences instantly. For Food & Beverage clients, more specifically, we will be focusing on DIY recipe videos.”
Shedding light on how the influencer game will change with Reels, she adds: “Influencers are shifting towards reels and so are their audiences. Collaborating with influencers and letting them talk about the product or shooting a video while actually using the product on reels is a great way to drive engagement. The whole idea is to keep it fun, short and engaging”, she adds.
Mixed Feelings
Since Instagram already has a number of features like Feed, IGTV, Stories and Highlights, dishing out content tailor-made for this new feature may prove to be a little overwhelming and exhausting for some.
A Jaipur based YouTuber and digital content creator, Ashlesha Ahluwalia says: “To be honest, I have mixed feelings about Instagram Reels. We, as content creators, are already making content for Instagram Feed, IGTV and stories and also for other applications like YouTube. Now if there’s another addition to the already existing platform, it will be challenging for the budding creators like myself. On the other hand, it is advantageous that every feature is now available on the same platform and there’s a brand new discovery section in Instagram Explore called ‘Top Reels’, where the best-performing public Reels will have the chance to go viral.”
Giving a tip to the other content creators, she further adds: “Now that TikTok is banned in India and Instagram Reels has taken over it, content creators should make full use of this feature as in the near future one may be able to monetize the content just like TikTok. Brands have already started reaching out to creators for reels paid sponsorship.”
Is Instagram the New YouTube?
The new Reels feature will not only change the video consumption behavior but will also transform the way video creators and marketeers see this space, opines Dilnawaz Khan, Founder, Codesign Labs and Power Deck. He also added that there might be a possibility that Instagram might come out to be an undisputed platform for video content in the coming years, putting up a tough fight against YouTube especially now when Reels have such a high organic reach. This will also help to promote the dying IGTV feature and Instagram may eventually become the “ultimate mobile video platform”.
There is no doubt that videos are the most popular type of content right now across social and digital media. People are not only making and sharing videos for the sake of entertainment but are also using it creatively to spread social messages and awareness. The consumption of videos has also increased manifold in recent times, especially owing to the pandemic. It is too early to say whether Instagram Reels is here to stay or not or if it will make an enormous impact on the video industry, but one must appreciate the swiftness with which Instagram filled in India the void left by the sudden ban of TikTok.
Tusharika Singh
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